Cab-tastic and the Law
So it happened like this a few days ago:
I’m heading off to a midtown (around 57 and 7th) and I’m running alittle late so I think to myself: ”Self, just take a cab!”
I stand at my corner of 112th and Bway and wait for a cab.
Suddenly this van cab arrives and I get in. (I hate the van cabs, there aren’t to many of them but I really try to avoid them as much as possible, they are awkward)
So I’m in the cab, I tell my driver where I’m going and he’s off. Now I don’t remember all too much about if he said anything, or how he was driving, but I do remember most everything from this point on….He turned to go through the park. Urg, I thought to myself, this is going to take forever now, why wouldn’t he just go straight down broadway, but alas, he didn’t.
We are driving through the road in the park and he starts to drive slower, and more to the center of the road. Then he slams on the breaks in the middle of the roadway. I go flying against the seat in front!
I am putting myself back together, when I notice something.
The door is open.
He is running away
I see him getting smaller and smaller as he takes off through the park, the cab with me inside sitting in the middle of the roadway as cars honk and try to move around me.
First thought: There is a bomb in the cab! Fuck!
Second thought: I don’t know the punky looking black guy doesn’t fit the ‘profile’ of a terrorist.
I am trying to figure out what to do, and realize the best plan of attack is to just pull the cab over to the side of the road (people are yelling at me by now) and get out and walk the rest of the way.
SIDEBAR: I will admit it crossed my mind multiple times to drive the cab to 57th and leave it there, but I didn’t do it.
So, I climb my way to the front seat (this vancab didn’t have any glass yet) and pull the cab over to the side of the road way. I reach back to the back to grab my bag, and then…
*tap tap tap* there is an officer at the window
I roll the window down.
Plum: “hello officer” (awkward smile)
Law-man:”licence and registration for the vehicle”
Plum: “umm…you seee..i..”
Law-man: “I said licence and registration” (loudly)
Plum: “ummm….” (grabbing licence out of wallet) ”I don’t know where the registration for the vehicle would be, it isn’t mine”
Law-man: “What is this?”
Plum: ”My licence, see it had expired, so that’s all the paper work to go with it.”
Law-man: “Get out of the vehicle”
Plum: ”umm…ok”
Law-man: “You aren’t American”
Plum: “No I’m Canadian, I go to grad school. Would you like to see…”
Law-man: ” Who does the vehicle belong to?”
Plum: ”The cab driver ran away, I was just moving…”
Law-man: ”He ran away”
Plum: “yes” (pointing in the direction he ran in the park)
It gets alittle fuzzy here. But:
I got fined, and had my licence taking away because I was driving a “commercial vehicle” without a licence. I was to report to the police station on my ticket to review my file, and pick up my licence/information…blah blah blah..
So I leave in a tissy, get to my destination almost an hour late, tell my story, and trek it to the central park station (which is a trek)
I get to the station, and they were so nice to me, lead me to see these other officers in suits i might add, and we sit down to talk. They apologize profusely about any misunderstanding and start to ask me details about my cabtastic journey.
You see: My “cab driver” stole the cab at gun point somewhere further up town after robbing some deli, and then for some unknown reason decided to pick me up on the side. Either to a: to make money, or b: as a hostage. And I guess he pussied out and left me to be attacked on my own accord by the fine officer in the park!
SIDEBAR: I wonder how much my parents would pay as a ransom…hmmm…
FACT: I tell this story MUCH better in person!
